Question : Relief Material to China

(a) whether the Government has sent a transport aircraft to the Coronavirus hit Wuhan to deliver relief material;

(b) if so, the details thereof along with the details of the items supplied by India to China;

(c) whether the said good will gesture by India is likely to develop strong Indo-China relations and if so, the details thereof;

(d) the number of Indians infected from Coronavirus along with their present position so far, country-wise; and

(e) the necessary measures taken/being taken by the Government to combat the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak?

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
[SHRI V. MURALEEDHARAN]

(a) to (c) The Government of India provided 15 tonnes of medical assistance comprising masks, gloves and other emergency medical equipment to China on 26 February 2020. These supplies were delivered by an Indian Air Force C-17 special flight which landed in Wuhan, China. This assistance was provided as a mark of friendship and solidarity from the people of India towards the people of China as the two countries also celebrate 70th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations this year. These medical supplies were handed over to the Hubei Charity Federation in Wuhan, China. The details of the medical assistance provided are enclosed in Annexure I.

(d) The details of the number of coronavirus infected Indian citizens abroad as per available information are enclosed in Annexure II. The Indian Embassies in the respective countries are in touch with such Indian citizens regarding appropriate medical attention in cooperation with local authorities.

(e) The Government has constituted a high level Group of Ministers (GoM) under the Chairpersonship of Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare to review, monitor and evaluate the preparedness and measures taken regarding management of COVID-19 in India. External Affairs Minister is also a member of this GoM. Ministry of Health and Family welfare has also issued several advisories in this regard, including the most recent one on 11 March 2020, which has been enclosed at Annexure – III.

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